


How Lily finally learnt to tolerate James

by sirrriusblack



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, F/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), but then fluff, so its okayyyy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:28:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26097133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirrriusblack/pseuds/sirrriusblack
Summary: Lily finds out about Sirius' prank and assumes James played a part in it.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	1. He Could Have Died!

“Listen, James Potter, I’m as bitter about Severus as the next person, but I… what the fuck?” She said, shoving James away from her. “He could have died, James. He could have died!” James shook his head.  
“Lily, you don’t understand, I had nothing—“ Lily cut him off, green eyes blazing with anger. She couldn’t really think James would do that, could she?  
“Bloody Merlin, Potter, have some dignity and quit lying. You were the one that got him to Madame Pomfrey. How did you know he was going to be there? Enlighten me.” She threw her hands in the air. James hesitated. Lily took that as a pass to leave and began storming off. But James was in front of her in a heartbeat, sincerity coating his face.  
“Lily, you have to believe me, I had nothing to do with Snape going down there. There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for me being there—“ James thought of Remus. “I just can’t tell you.” James was struggling. He couldn’t find a way to explain this to her without fucking everything up for Remus.  
“I’ve had enough, James. I’m sick of you and your excuses and lies and tricking me into falling in love with you, okay? Despite who he’s become, I love Severus and you nearly got him killed!”  
“No, Lily I— I saved him. You don’t get it, I saved his life okay?” James was frantic, running his hand through his hair jumping in front of Lily as she tried to get around him. But at his words, Lily slumped. Stood still.

“And just why did you save him, James?” She asked softly. James furrowed his brow.  
“What do you mean?”  
“You’ve hated Severus since first year. You’ve made that more than clear, so why did you save him?” Lily asked. “Did you think I wouldn’t see through you?” She stared James down.  
“What?” He asked, shaking his head.  
“Did you think I’d fall into your arms, shaking with gratitude? Did you really think you could get me to fall in love with you by nearly killing Severus?” Lily stepped away from him, but James didn’t seem to notice.  
“No.” He paused. “What?” He fixed his glasses. He shook his head. That was disbelief in his eyes. Written all over his face. 

“Merlin, Evans. Do you really think that low of me?” He asked. Lily didn’t say a word. “I can be arrogant, I can be a dick, and hell, I can be really fucking annoying, I know. But I’m not a monster, Lily. Fuck, I— I would never put anyone’s life on the line. And especially not to prove my worth to you.” Lily swallowed.  
“I just— leave me alone Potter.” She said, and walked off.

_Shit._


	2. I Could Have Died

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorlene plots to finally get Lily to warm up to James. First, though, they have to get very cold.

It was cold. That’s all that Lily could think while she paced the steps of the courtyard.  
“Lily!” she looked up to see Dorcas and Marlene, hand in hand and rugged up in at least five layers each. She smiled at them and they walked over.  
“Hey,” she said, shivering. Lily had always been told she was smart, and she believed it for the most part. For all the ease it portrayed, magic was difficult. What was more difficult though, apparently, was remembering that it was winter and that there was snow outside. She was such an idiot.  
“Shit, Lils,” Dorcas said, pulling off her jacket. “You must be freezing.”  
“Oh you don’t have to do—” Lily started to object but Dorcas’ outer jacket was already in her hands.  
“It’s okay Lils, you’ll need it,” she said. Lily furrowed her brows.  
“What for?” she asked. Marlene linked her arm with Lily’s and started leading her away.  
“We just want to go for a walk,” she said sweetly. “It feels like we haven’t hung out in ages.” Dorcas hummed in agreement. Lily didn’t mention the Hogsmeade trip they’d taken two days ago. The sun was shining—not that it was doing much to warm Lily up—and snowflakes were landing in her hair like confetti. She wasn’t going to refuse.

Lily landed with a scream and a thud onto solid ice. She fell silent for a moment, trying not to move an inch and waiting for the ice to shatter under her weight. It didn’t. Marlene and Dorcas, realising Lily wasn’t going to die, both broke out into fits of laughter, leaving Lily to lie on the frozen lake and glare at them.  
“I could have died!” she yelled, though the frost—and her friends’ laughter, though Lily wouldn’t admit it—softened the bite in her tone. Marlene and Dorcas kept laughing and Lily heard a few muffled words break through the sound, along the lines of “she just… oh Merlin… the thud…” Lily stood up and took a step forward. Or at least she tried to. Instead, she merely slid further from the snow, further from Dorcas and Marlene. Ignoring the girls’ laughter this time, Lily spun around, realising just which lake she’d fallen onto. The Great Lake. The massive, frozen over, stretching for miles, lake. And she’d slid when she’d fallen. In some stroke of bad luck, there was no one skating here either.  
“Marls! Dorcas!” Lily snapped, trying to take another step forward. She had no clue how to ice skate, let alone do it without actual skates. Her third attempt at a step toward the girls had her spinning even further away.

“Guys! Help!” Lily called. The ice was slippery. She didn’t know what else she’d been expecting, and it was a stupid thought, but she could barely register anything she was thinking at that point. Marlene and Dorcas moved closer to where Lily was and squatted along the edge of the snow. Lily sat cross-legged, too scared to move in fear of drifting further toward the middle of the lake. That was where the ice would be starting to melt under the afternoon sun. That was exactly where Lily didn’t want to be. She looked back to Marlene, her hair shining as bright as the snow and her smile even brighter.  
“You can’t get here?’ Marlene asked. Lily shook her head and glared at Dorcas, who was holding back her laughter. “Alright, we’re going to go get our skates, and we’ll come back,” she said, standing up and brushing the snow from her clothes. Lily stood up a little too quickly and nearly slipped again.  
“Why do both of you have to go?’ she asked, confused. Marlene smiled.  
“I’m not carrying three pairs of skates,” she said simply, reaching for Dorcas’ hand. Lily called out to them but they didn’t stop walking. It wasn’t until later that she realised Dorcas and Marlene were both good enough at skating to go out on the ice to get Lily.

In fact, it wasn’t until James showed up that she realised it wasn’t a walk at all. It was a plot. And Lily was having none of it.

“Evans?” James called from almost the same spot the girls had been in before. Lily rolled her eyes and sat back down on the ice, turning away from James. “Alright then,” he said, a little bit short. Lily tried not to let it get to her. “Have you seen the Marauders?” he asked. “They said they were going to meet me here.” Lily could almost see the way he was messing up his hair and looking around like they’d be standing in the middle of the Great Lake or something. She scoffed.  
“You mean your group of bullies that almost got Severus killed? Lily asked. It was petty, she knew, and probably unfair of her to be mad when she didn’t really know what happened. But she knew James Potter, and she knew that Severus wouldn’t lie. Even if he had called her a mudblood. Even if they hadn’t talked since that day three months ago. James muttered something from behind her and she turned around instinctively. “What?” she asked.  
“Look, Lily, if you want me to leave, I’ll leave, but you don’t even know what happened and it isn’t what you think,” he said, pushing his glasses up his face. Lily folded her arms over her chest and didn’t reply. James sighed. “Have you seen them or not?” he asked again, and once again, Lily didn’t reply, instead looking at her shoes. “Alright,” James breathed, turning and walking from the lake.

“Let’s hear it then,” Lily choked out, before she could convince herself not to. James turned around slowly until he was facing Lily, looking her in the eye, confused.  
“Hear what?” he asked carefully. Lily bit her lip.  
“I um… tell me what happened,” she said. After a moment of agonising silence, James’ mouth quirked into a small smirk.  
“Do you really want to know, Evans? Or do you just need help getting off the ice?” he teased, stepping backwards like he was going to leave. Lily considered her answer; whether or not she told the truth—that she’d felt guilty ever since the day she’d yelled at him in the hallway—or lie, because she really did need off this ice. She smiled.  
“Both,” she admitted, which made James’ smile widen. “Now shut up Potter and get me onto bloody land,” she ordered. James grinned and jumped down onto the ice, frankly scaring the shit out of Lily. He spun a few times to show that he was fine and drifted closer, circling a stranded Lily teasingly. After a moment, James extended his arm to Lily.

“So how’d you get out here?” he asked, waiting. Begrudgingly, Lily took it, knowing that he was never going to let her live this down. She sighed.  
“I was walking with Dorcas and Marlene and I…” he looked toward Lily, waiting for her to finish the sentence. She knew he was going to laugh at her. “I fell. And drifted,” she finished, stumbling slightly as James led her slowly back toward the snow. James let out a bark of laughter. Lily hated to admit that she was savouring his warmth and had to physically restrain from leaning into it. Because of the cold. Because. Of. The. Cold. James was smiling madly and Lily, too distracted by his face—no! Um… his… his rude laughter—stumbled a step. Which in turn caused James to stumble a step, until both of them were running across the ice, not wanting to fall onto it, and they landed face-first, next to each other. Despite the snow melting under her burning cheeks, Lily let out a loud, happy laugh and turned to find James still grinning with snow flecks in his hair.  
They stood up and sat by the edge of the lake but at a safe enough distance to avoid any more ‘incidents’ as James had phrased it. Still laughing, Lily turned to him. 

She turned to James. James Potter. What was she doing? She looked back toward the lake, her smile dimming.  
“Ah, there it is,” James said, almost exhausted.  
“What?”  
“That look. You…” he drifted off, didn’t explain.  
“What look, James?” Lily asked, looking at him and picking up a handful of snow in her right hand. James glances toward her and then down to his lap, like he was trying to decide what to do. He must have made a decision because he cleared his throat and looked at Lily.  
“I know I’m a dick, Lily. I know I spent years annoying you and…” he trailed off again. “But you don’t look at me like I’m a dick, Lily. You look at me like I tried to kill your best friend and I didn’t, okay. I didn’t do anything.” Lily chose not to correct him. Severus wasn’t her best friend. Not anymore. Instead, she let go of the snow and took a deep breath. “Look I know… I know I don’t have a chance with you, Lily,” he paused for a moment, like he was going to say more. Lily finally met James’ eyes, saw how beautiful they looked in the snow. She shook her head. “But for some reason, I can’t tell you why, I want you to believe me,” he finished. Lily blinked at him, trying to see past the act until she realised, there wasn’t one. For once, he was being honest.  
Lily bit her lip, thinking back to that day, two months ago, when she’d yelled at James, accused him of something she had no idea about. She still remembered exactly what he’d said that day.

_“I’m not a monster, Lily. Fuck, I— I would never put anyone’s life on the line. And especially not to prove my worth to you.”_

“What happened?” she asked, looking away from James and watching the snow fall all over the grounds, catching on the leaves of trees and settling into the already snow-covered ground. James sighed beside Lily.  
“I can’t tell you the full story—“ Lily spun her head to face him. He was already trying to withhold information? “Because,” he kept going, “it’s not my story to tell.” He looked at Lily, eyebrows raised until she nodded for him to keep going.  
“Sirius—he hasn’t—he’s not really okay at the moment,” James explained. “It’s not an excuse but he just… he told Snape—uh, um, Severus,” he quickly corrected himself at Lily’s eye roll. “He told Severus to do something—and this is the part I can’t tell you—and Severus did it because he’s—“ James cut himself short and looked sheepishly down at his lap. Lily laid her back down against the snow, not sure how to act. She wanted to hear it, she really did. But every word that nearly came out of her mouth was to defend Severus. To defend the person who had betrayed her. James kept talking. “Severus listened to Sirius, and, I don’t know, I guess Sirius thought he wouldn’t, or—I don’t know. But he told me what he’d done and—I can’t tell you why—but I ran after him and I grabbed him before he could get hurt.” Lily sat up.

“He had a bloody nose!” she said. James closed his eyes.  
“Yeah well, he didn’t really come willingly,” James said. Lily sputtered.  
“You punched him?” She exclaimed. James shrugged.  
“He’s okay now, isn’t he?” he asked, glancing around Lily’s face. She huffed and laid back down in the snow, nodding.  
They both stayed silent for a moment before Lily asked the question that had been burning inside her since it happened.  
“What…” she started, taking a moment before she could really ask. “What was he walking into, James?” she asked, her voice a mere whisper. James laid down on the snow beside Lily, turning his head to face her.  
“I can’t tell you that, Lily,” he replied, equally quiet. Lily bit her lip, considering asking another question. What’d she have to lose, right?  
“Was he—was it Remus?” she asked, watching James’ eyes for any hint she was right. There wasn’t one. He just looked confused.  
“What on earth would Remus be doing that’s dangerous to Snape?” he asked. Lily watched him for a moment longer but—nothing. Fine. He wasn’t going to tell her. That was fine. Whatever it was, though, was something bad enough to break Remus from the Marauders. And that meant it was bad.  
“Nothing,” she smiled. “Nothing, it was a stupid thought I just—“ she shook her head again, looking at James lying in the snow, smirking up at her.

“If you say so, Evans,” he said, sticking out his hand awkwardly. “Now that we’ve got that cleared up, and I’ve so charmingly saved your life,” he started, nodding toward the frozen lake. Lily huffed a laugh. “Friends?” James finished, smiling. Lily smiled back and shook his hand without hesitation.  
“Friends,” she confirmed.

“Oh my gosh, Lily!” Marlene yelled out at the same time Dorcas gasped.  
“Scandalous, Lily!” she called. Lily laughed and let go of James’ hand.  
“I’m glad you guys are back,” she called, smiling. “I have a question.” They stepped closer, intrigued. Lily looked at James and saluted him quickly, earning a confused chuckle. She turned to the girls. “Tell me, did you forget that you could have come out into the ice to get me?” she asked. Marlene froze. Lily had not forgotten her impeccable skating skills. In a matter of moments, Marlene and Dorcas were clutching onto each other and running away from Lily. Their laughter rang through the empty, snow-covered grounds of Hogwarts.


End file.
